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Broadband Benefits To The ARRABenefits of Newer Broadband Wireless Infrastructures in Relation to the New American Recovery & Reinvestment Act (ARRA)
According to the National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors (NATOA), over the long term, broadband deployment helps virtually every economic sector. For every dollar invested in broadband, the economy sees a ten-fold return on that investment. A recent study, “The Economic Impact of Stimulating Broadband Nationally”, suggests that a national program that increased broadband penetration by a mere 7 percent would yield a $134 billion positive impact to the national economy and 2.4 million additional jobs.
The current American Recovery & Reinvestment Act (and past bills never making it through the lobbying efforts of large incumbent service providers) cites applications and services related to ‘broadband’ in thirty different inferences most of which address the following:
• Bridge the Digital Divide for our underserved Communities and provide digital access, inclusion, and literacy programs for all of our residents and businesses
• Bolster our local economies while improving upon socio-economic issues and communications through use of newer broadband wireless technologies
• Public Safety & First Responder applications
• Increase workforce development through on-site and distance learning modules provided by local employer outreach programs and national organizations
• Provide for enhanced municipal public safety and departmental applications that would that would benefit the community as a whole and result in direct cost savings and increased productivity for Local Government
• Provide commercial grade, low cost/free, high speed fixed, nomadic and mobile broadband wireless access and services within the coverage area
• Develop a revenue share model from which a portion of subscription fees to broadband wireless access and services would flow back to our community to help fund and sustain the aforementioned programs
• Develop a business and services model from which other Cities and Communities can replicate
• Develop programs that will be identifiable as an asset to larger network operators and service providers leading towards future partnerships with those incumbents leading to much improved overall spectrum management
• Identify and partner with key stakeholders within our Communities to fund, develop, deploy, and gauge the success of the aforementioned programs and;
• Identify and partner with key stakeholders within our United States to fund, develop, deploy, and gauge the success of the aforementioned programs.
ARRA Programs Directly Synergistic to City, County or State Wide Wireless Services (partial list)
Aid to State and Local Governments
• Economic development assistance programs $150,000,000
• Matching funds from banks/private sector $TBD
• State and local law enforcement assistance grants to improve criminal justice systems, assist crime victims and mentor youth $225,000,000
• State and local law enforcement assistance to Indian tribes $225,000,000
• Internet crimes against children initiatives $50,000,000
• Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) grants $1,000,000,000
• Community Development Financial Institutions Fund for financial assistance, training and outreach to Native American, Hawaiian and Alaskan native Communities $100,000,000
• Local and state fire station upgrades and construction $210,000,000
• State Fiscal Stabilization Fund to avoid cutbacks and layoffs (82% must be used for education while 18% may be used for public safety and other government services. The latter part may be used for repairs and modernization of K-12 schools and college and university buildings.) $53,600,000,000
Education
• School improvement programs $650,000,000
• Innovation and improvement of elementary and secondary schools $200,000,000
• Institute of Education data systems $245,000,000
Energy
• State energy program $3,100,000,000
Health Care
• National Institutes of Health grants and contracts to renovate non-federal research facilities $1,000,000,000
• Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology $1,680,000,000
• Department of Commerce health care information enterprise integration activities related to the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology $20,000,000
Science and Technology
• Farm Service Agency salaries and expenses to maintain and modernize the information technology system $50,000,000
• Distance learning, telemedicine and broadband program $2,500,000,000
• National Telecommunications and Information Administration - broadband technology opportunities program $4,690,000,000
• National Institute of Standards and Technology scientific and technical research and services $220,000,000
• State Department technology security upgrades $252,000,000
• U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) technology $38,000,000
Aid to People Affected by Economic Downturn
• State re-employment services for the jobless $250,000,000
• Community Service Block Grant Program $1,000,000,000
• Employer Outreach/Distance Learning/Job Creation
Go to Digital Access, Inclusion & Literacy for Low-Income Households
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